An official date hasn’t been set yet, but Colby Lewis is going to pitch in the big leagues again sometime soon.

Lewis last pitched in the big leagues on July 18, 2012 before undergoing surgery on a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow. His rehab was further delayed when he had hip resurfacing surgery last August, and is believed to be the first pitcher to come back from that procedure.

“Definitely happy to be here,” said Lewis, who was in the clubhouse Friday but not officially on the team.

“This is another opportunity and I look forward to taking advantage of it. Go out there, compete and put this team in position to win ballgames. That’s the ultimate goal every time.”

Lewis also thanked the doctors who performed each surgery – Rangers’ team physician Keith Meister did the elbow procedure and New York-based Dr. Edwin Su did the hip procedure – in helping him get back to this point.

Lewis threw 98 pitches over a four-run, five-inning outing Sunday at Triple A Round Rock, and feels he’s to a point where he’ll be productive and competitive at the big league level.

Whenever Lewis pitches, either Monday or Tuesday against the Mariners, it’ll mark the end to a long 21-month journey back to the big leagues. Lewis had been a staple in the Rangers rotation during their World Series runs, reaching the 200-inning mark in 2010-11 before his 2012 season was cut short.